The document provides information on medicinal plants and their use in medicine. It discusses: - Common organic chemical elements found in plants used for medicine, including alkaloids and glycosides. Specific plants mentioned include foxglove, willow bark, and quinine. - Historical use of herbal medicines and herbals describing plants and their medical uses. Doctors grew useful medicinal plants in gardens. - Development of scientific medicine starting around 200 years ago, replacing earlier concepts like the Four Humors theory. Controlled experiments and statistical analysis became important. - Isolation of active principles from plants starting in the 1800s in order to standardize dosages and avoid unnecessary plant compounds. This led

1. Medicinal Plants
General high school of Sapes
Names:KILINKARIDOU MELINA
SAMPATZE CATHRINE
MPOZANAKH STAVROULA
AYGERIDOU EVAGGELIA
GIANNAKOPOULOU BASILIKH
POULOUTIDOU DIMITRA
SKOPIANOS DIMITRIS
TERSENIDIS KYRIAKOS

2. THE MOST COMMON
ORGANIC CHEMICAL
ELEMENTS
• Medicine in pre-scientific times
• Synthetic organic chemistry and medicine
• Alkaloids
• glycosides
• Foxglove (digoxin)
• Willow bark (aspirin)
• quinine
• Ephidrine

3. Herbals
•Many herbals, illustrated books describing plants and
their uses, were published. Practical uses together with
a lot of mysticism, superstition, and what we now
consider pseudoscience: astrology for example.
•Doctors and other healers had gardens where they
grew useful plants. Others were harvested from the
wild.

4. Systems of Medicine
• Our present system, scientific medicine, is only 200 years
old or so. There have been many other concepts in
medicine, and there continue to be alternative systems of
medicine. These other systems often contain concepts that
are specifically denied or disproved by science.
• Hippocrates and the Four Humors: blood, phlegm, black
bile, and yellow bile. The humors have properties of hot,
cold, wet and dry. In disease, the humors get out of balance.
The theory formed the basis of Western medicine until the
1850’s or so.
– We get words for personality traits like sanguine, phlegmatic,
choleric, and bilious from this theory.
– This theory also encompasses the idea of the four elements:
earth, air, fire, and water.
• Traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda (traditional
Indian medicine) are also alternative theories of medicine
that remain popular.
• Francis Bacon, an early scientific philosopher, said. ‘This
is the foundation of all. We are not to imagine or suppose,
but to discover, what nature does or may be made to do”.

5. Scientific Testing
• The essence of the scientific method is the controlled
experiment: the subjects are divided into two groups, with one
group given the experimental treatment and the other given a
control treatment.
– The control treatment should be as similar to the experimental as
possible, just missing the one element being tested.
– A useful refinement: double-blind experiments, where neither the
patients nor the doctor knows who is getting the experimental
treatment and who is getting the control. This avoids the placebo
effect, where patients often get better even with a control
treatment.
• Statistical analysis of the results is necessary, because random
factors influence the results. An important feature of
statistics: using enough subjects to get statistically significant
results.
• Animal models for the disease are very useful: you can do
more experiments without upsetting patients and their
families.
– More recently, tissue culture cells and even simpler model

6. Active Principles
• A big idea from the early 1800’s: The reason that certain
plants are effective against particular diseases is because
they contain specific chemical compounds (the active
principles) , with the rest of the plant material irrelevant.
– If you isolate (or synthesize) the active principle, you can control the
dosage people are given and avoid giving them other plant
compounds that might have bad side effects.
– In contrast, the amount a plant contains can vary with environmental
conditions, age of the plant, the plant’s genetics, and many other
factors.
– Also, it is possible to determine whether a given plant is actually
effective, or which parts of mixtures are important.
• This concept led to people trying to extract the active
principles from plants. For instance: which works better,
soaking the plant material in cold water, hot water,
alcohol, etc.? Which part of the plant produces the most
active principle?
– Lots of help from alchemy, the precursor to modern chemistry.

7. Medicinal Chemistry
• The effect of organic chemistry and the scientific method:
useful compounds are still isolated from plants: taxol is a
recent example. However, once isolated, attempts are made
to synthesize them and modify them.
– This helps avoid the supply of the plant from being cut off due
to disease or political or economic reasons.
– The Germans pioneered this philosophy of self-sufficiency in
the 1800’s because they had poor access to the ocean trade
routes and very few overseas colonies.
– Also, synthesizing an active principle from scratch proves that
you really do understand its structure.
• It is worth considering whether the healing effect of a plant
is due solely to a single active compound, with all others
irrelevant. There are many cases where several compounds
acted synergistically. And, healing is also helped by the
placebo effect and also by careful individual attention from a
healer. We are not just biological machines that respond
uniformly to impersonal treatment.

8. Active Principles in Plants
• The value of plants as medicine come from specific chemical compounds
they contain. These compounds are secondary metabolites: not directly
related to the plant’s ability to grow or reproduce.
• Secondary metabolites are probably present as a defense against infection by
bacteria or fungi, or to prevent insects and other animals from eating them.
– Some secondary metabolites inhibit other plant species: they poison the soil.
– Also, some are used to attract animals to help with pollination and seed dispersal:
the scents of fruits and flowers, for example.
• Different species produce different secondary metabolites. Within plant
families, the secondary metabolites are similar. For instance, the carrot
family and mustard family.
• A 2001 study counted 122 compounds used in medicine that were derived
from traditional herbal medicine. Of these, 80% were used for the purpose
the herbalists said they were good for. Traditional herbal medicine is a very
useful starting point for drug discovery.
– It is thought that about 10,000 different plants have been used in herbal medicine
at some point in human history.

9. Major Groups of Secondary Metabolites
• Alkaloids. Many different compounds, found in many plants. They
all contain nitrogen atoms, are alkaline (basic), and taste bitter.
Structures vary widely.
– Often affect the nervous system. Whether this is good or bad depends on
dosage and your point of view. For example, morphine.
• Glycosides. A sugar is attached to the active component. This makes
them non-toxic until an enzyme removes the sugar, which happens in
the digestive system.
– Cyanogenic. Very simple: cyanide attached to a sugar. Remove the sugar
and release the poison: it stops the ability to make ATP.
– Steroid. Steroids have a particular ring structure and are used to make
hormones in animals. Two main types:
• cardioactive (meaning that they affect your heart).
• Saponins are soapy and very toxic: they work especially well as fish
poisons because they dissolve easily in water. The steroid found in
yams (Dioscorea) is a saponin.

10. • s
s

11. Some Glycosides

12. PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
OF VALERIANA OFFICINALIS
The Greek physician,
Dioscorides, apparently recommended valerian root
to treat myriad disorders including
heart palpitations, digestive problems, epilepsy and
urinary tract infections1.

13. VALERIANA ISUSED TO
TREAT NERVOUS STOMACH
ALSO AS HYPNOTICS AND
ANXIOLYTICS
VALERENIC ACID
HAS SPASMOLYTIC
AND MUSCLE
RELAXANT EFFECTS

14. Aspirin
• Today, aspirin is probably the most widely used synthetic
drug. However, it originated in the plant world.
• The inner bark of willow trees, made into a tea, has been
used for relief of pain, fever, and inflammation since ancient
times.
• The active ingredient in willow bark is salicylic acid. It is a
plant hormone: it is released when the plant is wounded, and
stimulates the cells to strengthen their cell walls and
produce enzymes and other compounds to fight the
infection.
– It also gets converted to a volatile form, methyl salicylate (which is Oil
of Wintergreen). This compound induces pathogen defense
mechanisms in nearby plants.
• Salicylic acid was extracted from willow bark in the early
1800’s.

15. Vinca Alkaloids
• The Madagascar periwinkle Catharanthus roseus (used
to be Vinca rosea) was used as a traditional Chinese
remedy for diabetes. In the 1950’s it was tested
scientifically, and it had little effect on diabetes.
However, the scientists noticed that it suppressed bone
marrow activity. This led to the finding that the
lifespan of mice with leukemia was significantly
prolonged by Vinca extracts. Vinca contains over 70
different alkaloids, but purification work isolated
vincristine and vinblastine as the active agents.
• These drugs prevent cell division by binding to the
mitotic spindle, the apparatus that pulls the
chromosomes apart. It binds to the spindle proteins,
preventing them from joining together.
• They are very useful in treating leukemia, which is
cancer of the bone marrow cells that produce blood
cells. It also helps with several other cancers.

16. Garlic Mechanism
Nitric Oxide synthetase activity
platelet aggregation
fibrinolytic activity
“Others?”

17. Garlic Actions
300+ Studies!!!
Stimulates body’s immune system
Lowers risk of Hearth Disease & Stroke
Lowers Cholesterol & Blood Pressure
Slows Tumor Growth
Powerful Lipid Antioxidant
Relaxes arterioles, increases flexibility

18. KORRES ONE OF THE BIGEST
INDUSTRY USING MEDICINAL
PLANTS
SOME FINANCIAL ELEMENTS OF
THE GROUP ARE REMARCABLE :
Korres S.A. Natural Products reported
consolidated earnings results for the nine
months of 2011. For the period, the company’s
sales were €31.8 million. Operational
profitability has also improved; the group’s
EBITDA has reached €6.6 million against
€6.5 million a year ago. flow was €1.4 million
against €2.6 million a year ago, mainly due to
the group’s plans for the first half of 2012.

19. OLIVE OIL AND ITS BENEFITS
BENECOL
A large number of scientific studies have investigated the effect of plant sterols on blood
cholesterol levels. It is apparent from these studies that plant stanols lower total and
LDL cholesterol, but beneficially do not lower good HDL cholesterol or have any
adverse effects on triglyceride levels. Plant stanol ester reduces serum sterols by
inhibiting their absorption from the small intestine. Reducing serum cholesterol through
dietary changes often only provides short-term benefits due to the difficulty of making
the changes permanent. Benecol® products maintain its effectiveness in long-term use,
when the product is consumed on a daily basis. In a 12-month trial, serum cholesterol
was reduced by 10% and LDL by 15%.
These significant cholesterol lowering results have been proven on:
-People with normal and increased cholesterolemia
-Men, women and children
-Patients suffering from coronary disease
-Patients with diabetes type 1 and 2
-In combination with a healthy, balanced diet, rich in fruit and vegetables
-In combination with a strict lipid lowering diet
-In combination with medical treatment with statins to lower cholesterol

20. FUNCTIONAL FOODS AND
THEIR BENEFITS
FUNCTIONAL FOODS
Functional Foods is a company that implements innovative
ideas in the food sector. Its main goal is promoting
Functional Foods - the latest nutritional trend - to the
international market.
Functional foods are the latest discovery in today's healthy
eating. They contribute to our good health, help us obtain
our ideal weight, and prevent and fight various deseases.
Functional Foods researches the the global market and selects
the best products for its customers.

21. GREEK DRY RUSK OF
BARLEY AS FUNCTIONAL
FOOD
CRETAN DRY RUSK
Dakos Barley Rusk
This dry rusk is kneaded in the old traditional way, without any chemical additions. It is
prepared with unprocessed wheat and barley whole grains as well as virgin olive oil. It is
baked in a traditional wood oven.
Dry Rusk (Seven-kneaded)
The traditional Cretan seven-kneaded dry rusk is really delicious. It takes a lot of effort to
knead it and our knowledge and expertise gives it a special taste that can be compared
to the dry rusks of old times.
Barley Round Rusk
This rusk is kneaded in the traditional way, without any chemical additions. It is prepared
with unprocessed wheat and barley whole grains as well as virgin olive oil. It is baked
in a traditional wood oven.
Wheat Rusk
Our rusk is kneaded with a lot of care, without any chemical additions, ritch in nutritional
value and maintains its freshness and taste for a long time.

22. BELLEZA HERBAL
PRODUCTS
BELLEZA HERBAL INFUSIONS
Digestive
Digestive herbal infusion is a perfect blend of herbs that help to improve the digestion. It also helps to
relieve colic, bloated feeling, cramps and stomach-aches. Anise and Fennel are well known for their
carminative effect. Combined with the stimulation of the digestion provided by Haritaki and
Lemongrass makes for a balanced formula towards a healthy digestive system.
Energizing
Energizing herbal infusion is a formulation that will get you going with increased energy and alertness. A
caffeine free energy boost! Gotukola, a key ingredient, works as a brain tonic, revitalizing the brain
and the nervous system, thereby increasing attention span and concentration.
Holistic
Holistic herbal infusion helps you to revitalize the body, brain and the nervous system thereby helping.
The herb Guduchi accords longevity, enhances memory and improves health. A holistic approach to
wellness and good health.

23. CHAMOMILE
<<CHAMOMILLA RECUTITA>>
SPECIES: CHAMOMILLA MATRICARIA

24. BENEFITS OF MEDICINAL
PLANTS TO IMMUNE
Immune
SYSTEM
Based on an ancient Ayurvedic recipe, this blend of herbs contributes to strengthening your immune
system. Extracts of the herb Tulsi, modulate immunity, thus promoting immune system function.
Indian Sarsaparilla is used in Ayurveda as a tonic useful against various disorders.
Mint & Lemon
The combination of Mint & Lemon is an enticing mix of sweet, sour and savory that greets your tongue
when you take a sip. Like so many simple dishes the final product is something that is somehow
ethereal and infinitely sublime.
Relaxing
Relaxing herbal infusion is a formulation composed to naturally help relieve stress and anxiety and get
you back on track to a calm, balanced state of mind. Try this flavorful and gentle organic herbal tea
to help yourself ease from a stressful day into a restful night.
One of the key ingredients, Ashwagandha, relieves stress and helps in nurturing nervous system and
promotes calmness and mental satisfaction.
Slimming
Slimming herbal infusion helps to regulate fats and cholesterol in the body and assists in losing weight
naturally. The key ingredient, Guggul, helps to lower elevated serum cholesterol and triglycerides,
while maintaining or improving the HDL to LDL ratio.

25. THE GREEK TEAM FROM
SAPES FOR HERBAL E-
MOTION 2011-12